Bulawayo’s dams under strain as mining in catchments deepens water crisis

Upper Ncema Dam

By Staff Reporter

Bulawayo’s long‑running water shortages have persisted despite a relatively strong 2025–26 rainy season, with city officials warning that unexpectedly low inflows into supply dams now threaten the city’s water security. A Bulawayo City Council inspection of three key reservoirs, Upper Ncema, Inyankuni, and Mzingwane, revealed extensive mining activity in dam catchment areas in Matabeleland South, which council engineers say is disrupting natural runoff and reducing the volume reaching the city’s storage systems.

The inspection, attended by councillors, engineers, media, and other stakeholders, found active excavation sites and heavy‑duty water bowsers operating close to reservoir margins. Council engineers say those operations are diverting water, increasing sedimentation, and altering natural drainage patterns. Bulawayo Mayor David Coltart has repeatedly warned that unregulated mining in catchment areas undermines long‑term water security and called for urgent multi‑stakeholder action to protect the city’s sources.

Council figures show that as of 31 January 2026, Bulawayo’s operational dams were only 48.35% full, a level officials describe as inconsistent with the season’s rainfall. Sikhumbuzo Ncube, BCC Director of Engineering Services, said the situation is “dire,” noting that similar rainfall in 2017–18 left dams at roughly 70% capacity by the same point in the season. “Now, despite the good rains, the dam levels are not looking good at all,” he said, adding that Upper Ncema, the city’s most critical reserve, was only 40% full.

The shortfall has direct consequences for residents. Bulawayo remains on a 96‑hour water‑shedding schedule, with some suburbs experiencing up to four days without supply. Councillor Khalazani Ndlovu, chair of the council’s Future Water Committee, warned that easing shedding now could exhaust reserves before the next rainy season. “If we reduce the shedding hours now, we may fail to make it to the next rainy season,” he said.

Officials emphasise that addressing the problem will require coordinated action involving local government, mining operators, environmental authorities, and affected communities. Proposed measures include stricter enforcement of catchment protection rules, rehabilitation of degraded areas, sediment control works, and improved monitoring of water abstraction by mining interests. Engineers also called for an urgent audit of all activities within critical catchment zones and for the Ministry of Environment to lead a cross‑sector task force.

Community groups and environmental advocates say the crisis highlights broader governance gaps: weak regulation, limited enforcement capacity, and competing economic pressures that prioritise short‑term extraction over long‑term resource stewardship. They argue that sustainable solutions must balance livelihoods with the public good, including clearer licensing conditions for mining and incentives for rehabilitation.

For Bulawayo, the immediate challenge is operational, maintain supply to households and essential services while protecting the remaining storage. For the longer term, the city faces a policy choice, allow catchment degradation to continue and accept recurring shortages, or enforce protective measures now to secure water for future generations.